COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – San Diego State volleyball's Deja Harris was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday morning. Harris earns her first Defensive Player of the Week honor while having previously won a pair of Offensive Player of the Week awards earlier in her Aztec career.
Harris totaled 23 blocks for the week, including eight apiece in each of SDSU's conference wins over Boise State and Utah State. 20 of the senior's blocks came assisted, giving the Las Vegas product 424 block assists for her career and moving her into third place in the SDSU record book.
Harris was also the offensive leader for the Aztecs during its most successful week of the 2018 season, averaging a team-high 3.15 kills per set while recording a team-best .375 hitting percentage. Harris recorded 14 and 19 kills, respectively, in the Aztecs' wins over Boise State and Utah State.
In part to Harris' efforts, the Aztecs outhit their opponents .264 - .172 for the week. Harris led the Aztecs in blocks in every match last week and has led SDSU in blocks in 16 of a possible 19 matches this season. At the net, SDSU out-blocked their opponents, 37.5 – 18.
In addition to a pair of conference wins, SDSU recorded a dominating win over San Diego and swept the Toreros for the first time since 1999. Harris recorded two of her three block solos last week in the win over USD and logged seven blocks over just three sets.
Currently, Harris is second in the conference in hitting percentage (.350), ninth in kills per set (3.10), third in blocks per set (1.29), and fifth in points per set (4.07). Harris is the only player in the conference to be in the top 10 in both kills per set and hitting percentage.
The Aztecs (5-14, 3-3 Mountain West) return home this week and look to extend their four-match winning streak. SDSU hosts first-place standing New Mexico (11-7, 5-1 MW) on Thursday night at 6:00 p.m. before closing the week with third-place standing UNLV (13-5, 4-2) on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Both matches will air live on the Mountain West Network.
Deja Harris Named MW Defensive Player of the Week
